Fear
by theelienator
Summary: "What do you fear dragonslayer?" the creature whispered, the voice making Sting shiver all over. "What is it that you fear the most?" [Stingue]


**Disclaimer:** I do not own Fairy Tail or any of it's characters.

* * *

Sting was beginning to regret taking this job request alone. It felt strange not having his partner watching his back as usual, his calm steadying the impulsiveness Sting sometimes let run away with him. He had not regretted taking the request at the time though, the constant pressure of being the guild master was starting to tear on him and he needed to get away from the other guild members constant fussing. They were always asking if he had eaten, offering to help and keeping him company. It was starting to drive him crazy.

The job had sounded easy enough, a village neighbouring Sabertooth was having some issues with a rouge mage scaring the villagers. It had been close enough that they couldn't complain over the time he was going to be away, and it wasn't difficult enough for Rogue to insist he had to come along. Rogue had tried to insist at first, they didn't do much without each other and Sting hadn't missed the hurt look on his face, but when he explained that Rogue was the only one he could trust to keep the guild in check while he was gone, Rogue had relented. He had left Lector with Rogue as well, and the exceed had been furious.

Sting had been tracking the mage for a little while when he started to feel strange. His heart was beating erratically against his chest and a small sweat had broken out on his brow. He didn't think much about it at first, he hadn't been training for some time and it was hot outside, but then he started to feel nauseous and he stopped in an alley to catch his breath, resting his head against the cold cobblestone.

_What is going on here?_ He thought to himself.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" a mocking voice said from the shadows. The person who had spoken stepped out from its hiding place and Sting had to clamp his mouth shut when a new wave of nausea accompanied the person. When Sting had gotten accustomed enough to the feeling he lifted his head and regarded whatever had approached him. It wasn't a person Sting decided immediately, nobody could have that kind of face and be born human.

"What do you want?" he asked, still panting lightly. "And who or what are you?" he added.

The creature smiled, showing a set of pointy black teeth. "I am a fear demon, little mage," it answered sweetly. "You have quite a bit magic," it said and stepped closer still, its hand reaching out to touch him. Sting recoiled instantly, the movement making him dizzy, and the creature laughed at his stumbling movements. Sting chided himself quietly, he had to put himself together. Before he could summon an inch of magic the creature smiled again and said in a wicked voice; "Oh you will not be using any of that."

As on cue, dread started coursing through Sting's body and although he hadn't experienced the feeling much, he recognized it instantly as fear. So this was what had been tormenting the villagers. He gathered the last of his strength and stood upright, facing the creature. When they locked eyes the creature laughed victoriously and Sting felt his body stiffen. He was trapped.

"What do you fear dragonslayer?" the creature whispered, the voice making Sting shiver all over. "What is it that you fear the most?"

"I don't fear anything," Sting managed to ground out. Sweat now dripping openly down his face. He felt awful.

The demon throw back its head and laughed. "Everyone fears something," it said smiling mischievously. "You may just not know it yet, but don't worry, I will show you."

Sting thought he had experienced fear before, when he thought Lector had died; when he had to kill Weisslogia; when he was alone before he found Lector, Rogue and Frosch, but it was nothing compared with what he was feeling now. Dread was eating him up, he was sweating profoundly, and his stomach was turning over, his muscles slacking, his pulse and heartbeat visible even through his clothes and body, the noise of it all ringing painfully in his ears. Unable to keep standing he fell to his knees, never being able to break eye-contact with the demon, his breathing ragged and panicked.

"You are surely strong, dragonslayer," the creature said, the words barely audible above the roar in Sting's ears.

Had he been able to Sting would have laughed, he surely didn't feel very strong. For the umpteenth time he was wishing he would have brought Rogue with him, not only because it might have been possible to win over the demon, but also because it didn't feel like he was going to get out of here in one piece and he hadn't even said a proper goodbye.

"Let's see what it is you fear!" The creature cackled and before Sting could register the words he was suddenly eaten up by the black eyes in the demons face and he lost track of everything around him.

* * *

"_What do you mean you're leaving?" Sting asked desperately, his voice a few octaves higher than usual._

"_I don't want to be here anymore, I'm going somewhere new," Rogue answered, his voice as cold and unflinching as his eyes._

"_I'll go with you, someone else can be master, we'll leave together," Sting said, already making his way to his room to pack his things. _

"_No, Sting, I'm going alone. I don't want us to be partners anymore."_

_Sting watched uselessly as Rogue exited the guild, his travel pack on his back, leaving the guild, leaving him. _

* * *

_Sting was staring up in his father's face, feeling both joy and betrayal that Weisslogia had lived inside him the entire time. Weisslogia's face however was stern and the warm reunion Sting was hoping for crumbled as the dragon started speaking. _

"_I'm terribly disappointed in you, Sting. It seems my sacrifice was for nothing, you are weak and incapable of facing of a single opponent."_

_Embarrassment and shame filled Sting at his father's words, the small spring of hope leaving his body as Weisslogia disappeared into thin air without another word._

* * *

"_But I thought you were with the white-dragonslayer?" _

"_Sting? God no."_

* * *

"Please stop it," Sting whispered, his entire body shaking at the mental images, his body drenched in sweat. "Please make it stop."

Sting never begged, but it was as if a hand had taken his heart in its fist and squeezed it more and more for every second spent in those visions. There was a faint ringing in his ears and his body felt weak from the tremors of fear raking through his body. The logical part of his brain, which Rogue insisted didn't exist, was telling him that it was only the demon increasing the fear he had – that he actually wasn't this afraid, but that part was quickly shut down when the demon started laughing, the sound sending ripples of fear down his spine once more.

* * *

_Sting didn't know what had come over him when he closed the gap between him and his partner. He did know that it was going to cause some problems but when his lips met Rogue's he didn't care anymore, the only thing on his brain the impossibly soft lips of his partner's on his. The dream state he was in disappeared in an instant as Rogue made a choking sound before pushing him away._

"_What the hell do you think you are doing?" Rogue shouted, jumping up from his seat on the couch._

"_I –"Sting began before the look in Rogue's eyes made him pause. He looked disgusted. _

"_Stay away from me you sick bastard," Rogue said forcibly before exiting the room, slamming the door hard behind him._

* * *

_Sting cradled a small body to his chest. The once warm fur and expressive face cold and stiff. Sting was shaking uncontrollably, his chest heaving with silent sobs, the tears streaking down his face. _

"_Lector," he cried, desperation and pain lacing his voice. "LECTOR!"_

* * *

_He was standing in a church, beautifully decorated with flowers, the smell magnificent in Sting's dragonslayer nose. The rows were filled with familiar people, mages from Sabertooth, Fairy Tail, Lamia Scale, Blue Pegasus and Mermaid Heel, some of them waving at him where he was standing in the front. But most familiar of all was the groom next to him, the raven hair pulled up in a pony-tail, the scar across his nose, the fine lines of his face, his muscled body and a smell Sting would recognize in an instant. He kept staring, the feeling of wrongness piercing through his body, but Rogue didn't have eyes for anyone else but his bride striding towards the altar in a beautiful white gown. Something was clogging Sting's throat as he watched the faceless woman marry Rogue, pain located somewhere in his chest threatening to take over. He barely heard Rogue say "I do" before he felt his heart crumble._

* * *

"Your fears are a real bore you know," the demon said in a fed up voice. "It's all about some cats and that dark haired partner of yours. Although I have to admit, he is rather enticing, perhaps I shall go after him next." The demon had a cruel smile on his face and Sting was suddenly glad Rogue wasn't here, he couldn't bear the thought of Rogue in his position.

"Leave him alone," Sting choked out, his throat raw from all his screaming. Reality was coming crashing down on him and he was terribly relieved the visions he had seen only had been fragments caused by his fear and not actuality. It had felt awfully real, the scents and sounds all matching those in reality, and he could still feel the deep pain and fear he had of those visions coming true.

"I'll have to give it to you, you are rather unselfish," the demon chuckled, crouching down at Sting's face, a finger reaching out to touch the leaking tears from Sting's eyes. "All the others feared their own death or torture or the likes, but all you fear is if some boy leaves you, either for someone else's love or on his own." The demon said and raised his finger, wet from tears, and put it into its mouth. As the drops touched the demons tongue the power coming from the creatures body increased. _It's feeding on my fear_, Sting thought dazedly.

Sting watched silently, unable to raise a single finger, as the creature rose to its feet once more, turning its burning eyes into Sting's.

"I think I have played with you enough, your worst fear is the one you'll never wake up from."

_Rogue, Lector, Frosch_, he had time to think before he was plunged into darkness for the last time.

* * *

_Sting woke up with a start, the air around him seemed to boil and the darkness was tightening in a way that wasn't caused by nature. He jumped up from his bed, heading immediately for Rogue's bedroom. This wasn't the first time he had awoken to Rogue's shadows running amok, but for an unfathomable reason there was something different this night. Frosch was standing outside the bedchamber, the exceeds frail body shaking with fear, but relaxed slightly when he saw Sting approaching. _

"_Sting," the little exceed exclaimed before bursting out in tears, eyes big and terrified._

"_It's bad this time," Sting said, not really a question. The entire guild was in shadows, choking and thick. The exceed simply nodded and Sting hurried into the room. _

_Sting spotted Rogue at once when he entered the room. He was lying on the floor clutching his head as if in great pain, the voices inside his head trying to take him over. Most of Rogue's belongings had been thrown against walls and were laying brokenly on the floor, much like their owner. Sting fought down the panic rising in his head, fear trickling along his body, he had to keep calm. But the nagging thought of him being too late was starting to eat him up._

"_Rogue," he said carefully, not wanting to scare him even more. The words had barely left his mouth before he was thrown into the hard wall behind him. Quickly pulling himself up on his feet he searched the room for Rogue's familiar scent. When he spotted him a few paces to his left his heart almost stopped, there was nothing of his partner in Rogue's body. The shadow inside Rogue's body made its way slowly towards him, the shadows clinging closely to him, his eyes black pits, and Sting could feel the shadows sneaking around him, trapping him against the wall. Then Rogue was upon him, his head thrown hardly against the wall as Rogue put an arm against his throat, pushing until Sting was beginning to see stars. _

"_Rogue," he managed to choke out, before the iron grip around his throat tightened even more._

"_Rogue isn't here anymore," the voice of the shadow snickered, its oily voice contrasting deeply with Rogue's regular voice. "And now we will take your power," he hissed before raising the hand not clasped around Sting's throat, intent clear in his stance. _

I'm sorry Rogue,_ Sting thought before he made a swiping motion with his legs, intending to bring the shadow to its knees to try coax Rogue out without the hand clasping his throat. But the shadow quickly evaded his movement, although it caused him to let Sting go. Free from his restraints Sting approached the shadow again, this time letting a little light out in his hands. Not enough to do any real harm but sufficient to bring the shadow motionless in order to get the upper hand. The shadow hissed at the light radiating from Sting's hands and put two hands in front of its face to escape some of it, blindly charging towards Sting. _

_Sting ducked and felt the arm barely missing his head and wasted no time before he flung himself at the shadow, the force strong enough to bring them both down on the floor. Sting easily evaded a kick towards his ribs and answered with a punch in the shadows stomach. It hissed at the sting of light but quickly recovered and used his hips to push Sting under him. The shadow straddled his hips, and if the shadow hadn't possessed Rogue at the moment Sting would have found this new position very nice, but now he had to evade the punch directed at his face. The force of it made a hole in the floor and Sting used the imbalance it caused the shadow to switch their places. Pressing his thighs tightly around the shadows body he kept him firmly in place with his weight. Reaching up Sting grasped the shadows hands and wrenched them forcibly over its head. The shadow trashed underneath him, trying to get Sting to lose his grip. Sting used some of his light again and the shadow stilled underneath him, hissing through his bared teeth, their chests heaving in sync. _

"_You can't get him," the shadow rasped. "He is mine and always will be."_

"_Rogue is nobody's, he is his own person," Sting answered fiercely. The shadow started laughing at that, and before Sting could react he was up against the wall again, his arms wrenched painfully behind his back. _

"_Foolish little white dragonslayer," the shadow snickered, "he thinks you are going to save him from me. The trust he has in you is sickening." The shadow wrenched his arms a little higher and Sting had to bite down on his lip not to grunt out loud in pain. "I wonder how he is going to react when he wakes up and realizes he has killed you," the shadow cackled. _

_Sting fruitlessly tried to get the shadow to ease his grip on him but the only way to get lose would be to use his power full out and that might injure Rogue. Anguish was running through his body at what he had to do, but he had promised Rogue he wouldn't let him succumb to the shadows, that under no circumstance would he let the future the other Rogue had come from come to pass, and this was the only way. _

_Silently praying to whatever was listening he unleashed his power, the bright light scorching through everything around him. The shadow fell on to the floor beneath him and Sting immediately let go of the light. Turning slowly around he fell to his knees at Rogue's side, and as their eyes made contact he swallowed down the pain as the real Rogue stared back at him. _

"_Rogue, I'm so sorry," he said, almost choking on the tears threatening to spill over. "Everything will be okay now," he whispered soothingly, running his fingers over Rogue's scar. _

"_Sting," Rogue croaked out, pain lacing his body. "You –"_

"_Shh, don't speak, you just need to rest okay?" Sting was faintly aware of tears leaking down Rogue's cheeks and his heart clenched painfully over the fact that the pain Rogue was feeling was caused by his hand. Slowly Rogue started shaking his head, and that was when Sting noticed the strain in Rogue's face and body. _

"_He is going to come back, soon," Rogue said through clenched teeth. His body stiff at the effort of keeping the shadows at bay. _

"_What can I do," Sting said painfully, still stroking every part of Rogue's face, as if committing it to memory. _But no, Rogue is here and I will keep him here, _Sting tried to convince himself. _

"_You have to kill me," Rogue croaked and Sting felt his heart drop to his stomach, the dread and fear he had tried to keep at bay as he had entered the room taking over. _

"_No! Surely there is another way!" Sting said desperately, starting to feel dizzy. Rogue achingly slowly moved one of Sting's hands from his face and lay it against his heart. _

"_Sting. You promised," Rogue panted, out of breath from that single move. He could feel the shadow creeping closer and he needed to know Sting wouldn't fall prey to his other self. Intertwining their hands laid over his heart, Rogue tried to sound confident when in reality he was trying hard not to fall apart at the pained look on Sting's face. But it would be fine, he had Lector and Frosch left. At the thought of the exceeds Rouge's resolve started to fall but the sound of rustling in the back of his mind put him back on track. _

"_You promised." Rogue repeated, trying to keep his voice steady. It would be easier if at least one of them was thinking clearly. Stings hand clutched his tight, silent sobs raking through his body. Locking eyes with his partner, Rogue let go of his partner's hand, flattening Stings out over his heart. "Please."_

_Sting started crying then, tears streaming down his face, blurring his vision and heaving sobs breaking through his mouth. Lifting his hand from Rogue's face he wiped his tears away before putting it back on Rogue's cheek, he wanted to be able to see him clearly when he … No he couldn't even think the word. Sting leaned down, resting his forehead against Rogue's, wishing for the thousand time he had had the guts to tell him about how he truly felt about his partner. But Sting could tell time was running out as the shadows lurking in the corners of the room started closing in, drawn in by Rogue. Never leaving the red gaze of his partner he summoned the light to his hand and shot it through Rogue's chest, hitting his heart. _

_The blow killed him instantly, and the light in Rogue's eyes died out the second the light touched his heart, his body turning limp in Sting's arms. It felt as if a great void had swallowed him up, a numb feeling spreading through his limbs. Tears blurred his vision again, and this time he didn't brush them away, even the thought of taking a hand of Rogue's rapidly increasingly cold body making him shake in anguish. He slowly lifted Rogue up in his lap, intertwining their hands once again, their foreheads close together. _

"_Rogue," he whimpered, holding Rogue close to his body whispering reassuring words in his unhearing ear, rocking back and forth. _

_Sting didn't know how much time had passed as he sat there, refusing to let Rogue's cold body go. He was faintly aware of other people around him, a devastated Frosch being led away by Yukino and not even Lector dared approach him. There was nothing in the world except the numbness in his body, the remaining pieces of his heart laying shattered in a puddle of blood on the floor, the black void threatening to take over. _

"_How am I supposed to live without you," Sting asked aloud, his voice barely audible from all the screaming and crying it had withstand. "We are two sides of the same coin, one cannot exist without the other," he choked out, his body convulsing with new sobs. _

_Of course there was no answer and Sting felt himself give in to his body, letting the blackness swallow him whole._

* * *

Rogue had no way to explain why he was so anxious all of the sudden. He knew very well that Sting could take care of himself, and that there wasn't much that could take down his partner. But knowing this didn't erase the fact that a feeling located in his gut were repeatedly telling him that there was something very wrong with Sting. As to not startle anyone, and make them worry over nothing, Rogue told Yukino that he needed to fetch something in town and wondered if she could watch over the guild and the exceeds. She had agreed without hesitation, and why wouldn't she? No one else would even think the thought of Sting failing. Still, he trusted himself and as he hurried down the many roads in the city he was growing more and more desperate to find Sting.

He found the client easily, the man telling him that yes, the white dragonslayer had come and asked for information, and then gone down into the poorer part of the town – where most of the incidents had occurred. Thanking the man for the assistance he hurried down the path the man had pointed out while opening his senses to Sting's scent. At first he smelled nothing but the grease and filth from the houses lining the streets but then a familiar – although faint – scent reached his nose and he quickened his pace even further, almost breaking into a run. It was the faintness of the scent that made his earlier anxiousness turn into a wilder more frightening feeling, for it could only mean that Sting was in serious problem.

Following the scent blindly through the streets he almost missed the strong pulsing of dark power, but came to his senses long enough to pause and rein back his emotions. He would be no help to Sting if he simply barged into the situation without having an idea of what was going on. Blending into the shadows Rogue rounded the corner to the alley were Sting's scent was located. It was stronger now that he was closer – but still far too weak to give him any comfort.

Although it was as he had expected, the sight of Sting lying motionless on the ground made his heart drop in fear for his partner. At first Rogue thought the unthinkable – he was too late – but then he heard the small whimpers coming from Sting's mouth, sounding almost as pleas. But that would be strange as Sting didn't plea for anything, he just did what he wanted done. Then his dragonslayer hearing picked up on the words Sting was uttering and his pulse quickened as he recognized his own name on Sting's lips.

Knowing that he still didn't know anything about the situation, other than that the person cloaked in darkness must be very powerful to bring Sting down, he couldn't stand by for a single more second watching his partner shaking with what must be fear. With a silent movement he stepped out of the shadow, arm out cloaked in shadows, ready to attack.

"Let him go," Rogue said darkly, every ounce of anger in his body wishing to be released. The thing turned around slowly, the ripples of power increasing with the movement. To Rogue's surprise it was smiling, the dark pointy teeth easily visible.

"You are the other dragonslayer," the creature said, amusement lining his voice. "We have been talking about you," it continued, "Or, well, he haven't done much talking," it snickered.

"What have you done to him?" Rogue demanded, although he could guess the answer. The client had been talking about victims scared to death, their worst fears coming alive.

"Did you know that the worst fear he has is you?" the creature continued, ignoring his question.

"What do you mean?" Rogue said disbelievingly. Against his will he the happenings at the Grand Magic Games came back to him, when he had been told he would kill Sting, his partner, for power. He had been terrified first, the horror of his actions making him fall to his knees, but then Sting had showed up, reminding him that he wasn't alone. The shame he had felt, and the fear of Sting leaving him, had plagued him for weeks before he had dared tell Sting of it. He had worried for nothing though, Sting didn't believe for a second that he would fall to darkness, and when Rogue had made him promise that he would kill him – if needed – he had, although loath, agreed.

He had been sure Sting was confident in his trust, but now he wasn't so sure anymore. The thought of Sting being afraid of him and his possible actions made him sick to the stomach. The nagging fear of Sting finally tiring of him and his darkness threatened to swallow him whole.

"All the thoughts of you leaving him, dying, being in love with someone other than him and rejection of his love for you is almost making me puke. Had he not have all that magic in him I wouldn't have bothered seeing it through."

"Of course he fears me killing him," Rogue started before he registered the creature's words. "Wait, what?" he was faintly aware that having a conversation with the very thing killing his partner was probably not the best thing but the creature had thrown him off-guard.

The creature laughed knowingly, obviously enjoying the situation. "Apparently being friends isn't all that he wants to be with you, not that he will ever get the chance of anything more."

Some hope had climbed into Rogue's chest at that point, if he only could get them out of this mess they had some things to discuss. Getting back into battle position he wasted no time before firing a first wave of shadows at the creature. It ducked nimbly, avoiding the attack and lifted its head, no doubt so that he could trap him in the helpless state Sting was in. Rogue readied a new dose, meeting the eyes of the creature. It cackled in victory, thinking he would be trapped in paralyzed fear, before shock registered on its face when Rogue stood unaffected.

"What –"the creature began, but the wave of shadows thrown by Rogue's hand quickly enwrapped it, turning it into a heap of ash.

"Shadows don't fear anything," Rogue said before turning solid once more.

There was a moment of confusion before Sting realized he wasn't dead and was in fact lying face down on the ground in a dark alley somewhere in Fiore. The powerlessness and crippling fear he had experienced earlier was almost gone, the only thing keeping him on the ground was the memory, no - vision, of Rogue's cold, dead body in his arms. Slowly lifting his head he took in the view before him and couldn't help a surprised gasp slipping through his mouth. Where the demon had stood was now only a heap of ash, the size of a small child. Behind the puddle, arms raised and stance rigid – no doubt from fighting the demon, stood Rogue. Sting almost fell back into his earlier position on the ground out of relief. There was no fear nor was dread coursing through his body and this time Sting was certain it wasn't some fear inspired vision. As he started to come back more to his senses he smelled the familiar scent of his partner, a scent he associated with home and safety. Suddenly the visions came crashing down again and before Rogue had a second to react he had thrown himself against him, hugging him close to his body. Sting was absently aware that his grip probably was a bit tight and that he was drenched in sweat and tears, but at the moment he didn't care, all he felt was the overwhelming scent and warmth coming of Rogue's body, seeping into his own.

"Are you okay?" Rogue asked confused at his partners somewhat strange behaviour, but didn't push him away. Instead he returned the hug, putting his arms around Sting's back and laying his head on top of Sting's shoulder.

"I am now," Sting answered, his face buried in the nook between Rogue's shoulder and neck. The implications of the days actions was starting to catch up on him, experiencing his fears as if they were real and the fact that if Rogue hadn't showed up he would be dead by now.

"What are you doing here?" Sting asked then, with a little more force than intended, the earlier relief that at least Rogue would be safe in the guild vanishing. He lifted his head from Rogue's shoulder and pinned him with a stare, fisting his hands at his side. "I thought I told you to stay and look after the guild."

"I got a bad feeling and decided to check up on you," Rogue answered, "You would have been dead if I hadn't come." He continued, the fear of finding Sting lying lifeless on the ground fresh on his mind. He too was standing in a protective manner, hands crossed over his chest, eyes not lifting of the ground.

"You could have died too, did you ever think of that?" Sting almost shouted, frustration and fear building up inside him.

"But I didn't die, and neither did you. We are both alive." Rogue replied just as hotly, refusing to back down.

"Yes we are," Sting whispered, almost to himself and before Rogue could react he was roughly pressed against the alley wall. For a second he was certain the creature was back from the dead and this would be the end of them, but then he recognized the body pressed up against his own.

"What –"he began before he felt Sting's lips crashing down on his own, effectively interrupting anything he was about to say. He hesitated only for a moment, there was a billion questions in his head that wanted answer, but then he forgot everything and just let himself feel. For even if Sting only did this out of relief that they were alive or because of something he had experienced in his visions or some other reason, Rogue realized he didn't care. If this was a one-time only happening then he would make the most of it.

There was a second where Sting thought Rogue wouldn't respond, that all he had feared was coming true, but then the unresponsive lips under his own began moving and hands clasped Sting's bare waist, pressing their bodies closer together. Their kisses were soft at first, testing each other out to see if the other would run, but when no such thing happened the kisses turned deeper, and more heated. Soon they were both gasping and moaning in pleasure, tongues and hands exploring the other while their hips met in more and more fervent grounding.

Sting began trailing soft kisses down Rogue's neck, and encouraged by Rogue's moans, started biting the soft flesh, leaving small love bites in his wake. When clothes got in his way Sting impatiently started ripping them off, wanting to feel Rogue's smooth alabaster skin under his hands. Rogue was quick to follow, tugging the fur west of Sting's shoulders and pulling the suspenders to the sides. They had to break their kisses to pull their sweaters over their heads and as soon as the garments were out of the way they returned to their previous actions with increased need.

Rogue had thought his imaginations had been good enough to keep his need sated but experiencing it in reality was so much better than he could have ever believed. He was hot all over, coils of what felt like firing coursing through his body that could only be satisfied with Sting's lips and hands. He was aware that the noises he was making would normally make him blush furiously – and would never be uttered in public – but all reasonable thoughts seemed to have escaped his mind, including the fact that they were also very much in the open.

"Sting," Rogue panted, trying to get a hold of his mind and body, and failing miserably when Sting's clothed crotch came in contact with his again. "Perhaps we shouldn't be doing this now, _here_," the last part coming out of his mouth as a moan when Sting licked on one of his hard nipples.

"Having second thoughts?" Sting answered smugly and repeated the action, making it very obvious that Rogue didn't have any thoughts at all.

"I don't know what this is, if it's some sort of way to deal with what that creature exposed you too, but …" he didn't get to finish before Sting stopped his ministrations and looked at him with burning eyes.

"This has nothing to do with that, this isn't something to get my mind of it," Sting said hotly, "I love you," he added, softer.

His eyes were searching Rogue's to try and gauge his reaction, painfully reminded that his fears might come true. But Rogue only smiled, as much of a smile you could get out of him, and slowly lifted a hand to Sting's face, softly trailing the scar over his eye. Sting almost forgot how to breathe at the tender expression on his partner's face and the hand touching his face, so different from their earlier heated touches but both having the same thought and love behind them.

"I love you too," Rogue answered and Sting couldn't hide the grin spreading over his face, he felt happier than any other time in his life. It was strange how something that had begun so badly turn out this well.

Sting leaned in and kissed Rogue again, this time taking his time to savour the sensations and tastes and emotions of the moment. Tongues tasting each other, their breaths mingling, their lips moving in perfect synchronization, the closeness of the action. They broke away panting only when the lack of air forced them to stop and, finally noticing the state of undress and very public position they were in, Sting pressed their foreheads together in a loving motion before reluctantly breaking away to pick up their shirts.

"I hope you realize that only because I'm considerate of your distaste of public affection doesn't mean I'm not going to finish what we started once we come home," Sting said with a mischievous smile, his eyes on fire.

In his mind Rogue debated whether he should enlighten Sting that sex in public didn't really go into the same folder as affection, but seeing the happy smile on his partner's face and the promise of a very busy afternoon he decided against it. Instead he put his clothes back on and whispered hotly in his partner's ear;

"I'm counting on it."


End file.
